Caught In The Middle

We all have trauma

Inside the Strike Palace was a little more modern retro than Quinn had expected, it was all digitized with electronic score boards and the atmosphere was fun. The girls were all nice and since they had a fairly good turnout of eight girls they took up two channels and competed as pairs. There wasn’t really anyone else in the place except for a couple of teenagers over at the old pinball machines and playing fooseball in the corner.

Quinn had never played before so had to be shown how to bowl and she wondered why they had to wear special shoes…nevertheless she was having fun and making new friends and that’s what counted. She exchanged contact info with everyone and was a bit stunned to hear them all say she was weird to only have Insta as a chat app. Most seemed to use several but Quinn didn’t have a reason to have so many social media apps, she seldom really used any form of media. Posting photos, influencers and famous people didn’t really interest her, neither did flirting or anything for obvious reasons so she never bothered with them.

The only person that actually texted her phone number was Antonio.

Quinn’s mood rapidly declined the moment the doors to the place opened and a group of young guys walked in. The one leading them in like the leader of some notorious street gang, his hands in his pockets and swaggering like he owned the joint with a pleased smirk on his face as his eyes searched the place and landed on Quinn was none other than Reese O’Shea.

Quinn’s mouth twisted in discontent as his eyes met hers and she purposely looked away. “What the hell is he doing here?” She muttered.

“No idea…” Lizzy said sounding legitimately shocked. “Didn’t think this would be his sort of place to hang out?”

“Argh…” Quinn rolled her eyes and hid her face in her hand as she groaned. “Stupid me told him!”

“You did, when?”

“When he asked me out and I told him I was busy…”

Lizzy grinned. “He asked you out, the Prince asked you out and you didn’t tell any of us?”

“What’s to tell, I said no.” Quinn glanced at him over at the shoe counter taking his boots off. She couldn’t believe someone so cool like him would come here to ten pin bowl and where these crappy horrible shoes.

She groaned and rolled her eyes again feeling a nervous twitter start up in her belly as he wandered over to the booth she was sharing with Lizzy, Emma and Tania. The girls in the other booth were all staring like they had just seen a celebrity walk in.

“Evening girls, how great it is that I have a free evening so I could come down and spend it with the lovely freshman girls of the business faculty…how about we all mingle and play together…I have a great game to get to know each other.”

“We’re already playing a game, it’s called ten pin bowling.” Quinn grumbled, folding her arms as Reese squeezed past her knees and sat down beside her.

“Don’t be like that, this will make things more interesting.”

“What is it?” Lizzy asked enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with delight as the other girls all gushed and giggled.

“It’s called Strike Truth or Dare…whoever gets a strike gets to pick one of their opponents for truth or dare.”

“Sounds exciting, shall we?” Lizzy asked the other girls. “He is on the executive, we should get to know him a little…”

Quinn scowled darkly, seeing the trap. “I’m out…time to go.” She went to stand up but Reese grabbed the back of her jeans and yanked her back down.

“You stay here.” He growled in a deep sexy demand that had the other girls all gaping openly at him.

Quinn’s mouth went dry as her brain left her and she felt her cheeks heat up in a flush. His hand was still on the small of her back and the heat permeating through from it was sparking heat in her womb. She glanced sideways up at him to see he was smirking at her as all the other girls agreed to the game and split into groups with the guys of Reese’s gang leaving Lizzy with a guy called Mac and Emma with a huge muscly guy called Tank to play with them, Reese and Quinn.

Reese leaned in, lifting his hand up and placing it on the back of her neck making her gasp in a little breath. “Why are you so quiet and demure all of a sudden? No smart ass comments, no struggle?”

Quinn could barely breathe let alone speak. She moved her head and swiped his hand away. “Don’t touch me like that!” There was another person who liked to hold her around the neck and it sent shivers through her enough to give her goose bumps.

Reese noticed and his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he chuckled. “Wow…fuck.” He breathed out to realise she was actually submissive. “So all that mouthiness is just for show, huh, brat?”

“Shut the hell up!” Quinn hissed. She looked away to where Lizzy was organizing everyone and everything, that’s what she was good at it seemed, a real mother hen type. “Why did you come here?” She looked back at Reese as he relaxed back into the seat once he knew Quinn wasn’t going to try and leave again. Mac started the round and instantly got a strike.

Quinn felt a bad shift in the air that they had all been duped.

“I thought you were inviting me when you handed me that invite.” Reese said smoothly.

“Bullshit.” Quinn hissed under her breath.

“Ah, there she is…”

Mac grinned as he came back to the table. “Truth or Dare, Quinn.”

She looked at the guy who was a complete stranger, stunned. “Me?”

“Ah-huh.” Mac grinned like a cheeky little boy, dimples and all.

“Truth, I guess…” No way she was ever picking dare with this psycho sitting next to her.

“Alright, one for all the girls…” He looked at Lizzy and Emma. “When did you lose your virginity?”

“I was fifteen…he was hot, no regrets.” Lizzy stated proudly.

Quinn was a little surprised and relieved, she hadn’t wanted to say fifteen honestly thinking it would label her a slut or something.

“Same.” She muttered. Reese’s eyebrow’s lifted in interest and he smiled at Mac who nodded.

Emma answered. “Eighteen, like literally two months ago, with my current boyfriend.”

Reese leaned back to Quinn’s ear, bumping shoulders with her. “So you like the back of your neck touched?”

Quinn shoved him away and went to get up but Reese laughed and held her in place with a strong grip on her thigh. “Stop, I was only teasing, man you’re so reactive to every little thing…do you not get guys flirting with you?”

“I try to avoid it.”

“Why?”

“I told you already…” Quinn huffed as Lizzy and Tank started their turns.

“The boyfriend that’s not in so many words, what the f**k does that even mean?” Reese asked annoyed.

“It means leave me alone, I’m not interested.”

Reese gave her an intense glare that almost made her forget how to breathe. “Oh? But I think you kinda are…”

Tank got a strike. “Yes!” He fist pumped the air and waltzed over. “Truth or Dare, Quinn?” He asked amused.

Lizzy giggled. “You’re popular.”

Quinn grimaced and glanced at Reese to see his amused smirk. Was this all a set up? “Truth.” She muttered.”

“I’ll go easy on you.” Tank said sounding quite gentle for a big guy. “Where were you born?”

Quinn gave a little cluck of the tongue. “Boston.” She flinched as Reese suddenly stood up.

“Easy, babe…it’s my go.” He chuckled and walked off to pick up a ball. He wondered how come she was always so flighty, like she had been hit before. He knew all about how women flinched being used to being hit, he had seen it growing up plenty of times. That made his blood boil and he had to take a moment to close his eyes and calm down before taking his turn.

Quinn blinked in startled chagrin as the ball flew straight into the pins for an almost professional strike. Reese turned on his heels and gave her the most s**t-eating self-congratulatory grin making her stomach sink as he wandered back over.

“Look at that! A strike!” Lizzy cried out enthusiastically. “Wow, so you get to pick someone for truth or dare…you guys are like pool sharks, huh?”

Quinn gave her a lethal look as Reese chuckled. “Quite right, little Lizzy…who do you think I’ll pick?”

Lizzy’s eyes slid to Quinn and she smiled coyly. “Perhaps Quinn?”

Emma giggled behind her hand.

“Bingo! You’re good at this game.” Reese praised her as Mac chuckled to himself.

Reese sat down and put his arm around Quinn’s shoulder’s pulling her into his side. “Truth or dare, Quinn, what will it be?”

She was engulfed by the scent of his expensive cologne and felt the hotness of her cheeks. She pouted her lips and sighed. “Truth I guess, I certainly don’t trust what sort of dare you would give me.”

Reese laughed a husky deep chuckle. “Spoil sport.” He murmured, licking his tongue over his teeth.

He looked really carefree and handsome when he laughed and Quinn wondered why he always looked so dark and moody most of the time like something was weighing him down. She really didn’t know anything about him because she had purposely not found out. She wanted to, he was being quite close but his rizz was quite infectious.

Quinn was looking at him with a weird pout waiting for his invasive question, but her eyes were sparkling brightly. His eyes seemed to darken in intensity at that look.

“Tell us your body count.” He said with a smug grin.